Bush’s team has trumpeted the size of the “mandate”, how he has won by the first majority of the popular vote in several elections, how he won by more votes than ever before.
Just to clarify, there are more registered voters now than ever. Bush’s “mandate”, expressed as a percentage of the voters, is among the smallest in the last hundred years.
Again, he won fair and square, but like this guy says, it’s no time to get cocky. Be humble and you’ll make friends and influence people. Be cocky, do stupid things, and you might get hit with the curse of the second term (see: Nixon’s resignation, Reagan’s Iran-Contra scandal, Clinton’s impeachment).